NOAA sponsoring 4th annual right whale festival | News

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JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. -- The fourth annual Right Whale Festival will take place at the Sea Walk Pavilion, Saturday, November 17.

The festival is held in celebration of the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale's return to the southeast coast, which is the only known calving area of the species, according to a news release from NOAA fisheries.

The festival is free and there are activities for people of all ages. The day's events kick off with a beach clean-up at 9 a.m.

Other attractions include a right whale obstacle course, a near life-size illustration of a right whale calf named Stella and live music by Split Tone and the Saltwater Cowgirls.

The release said right whales migrate more than 1,000 miles away from their feeding grounds in New England and Canada to warmer coastal waters each winter. The right whales use the waters off South Carolina, Georgia and northeast Florida.

In addition to the fun and games at the festival, people will also be educated about the migration patterns and ongoing efforts to protect the North Atlantic right whale.